Abubakar also said that the Nigerian military had dealt a heavy blow to the sect’s command structure rendering it unable to hold any territory.

He said:

“I believe that Boko Haram is no longer strong enough to hold any territory in this country because of the level of losses they have suffered as a result of our offensive.”

“I make this comment, not only about Gamboru Ngala, but it applies to any other territory in this country and very soon this issue will be clear for all to see.”

“But I can assure you that we are doing a lot and never again will Boko Haram or any group at all be allowed to recapture territories taken by our troops. What happened was in the past, I can tell you that it will never happen again.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has given the military a deadline of three months to end the insurgency.